For Laura Westner, the “thought of my cancer coming back does rent some space in my head.” But as a breast cancer survivor, she’s “trying not to let it consume me.”

Her plan? 

“Just trying to take life one day at a time,” the 49-year-old longtime physical education and health educator shared.

In April 2023, right after her annual mammogram, a call came in. Laura needed a follow-up ultrasound, as there was an area of her left breast that needed a second look.

“After the ultrasound, they discovered there wasn’t just one mass, there were two in the same breast that would need to be biopsied,” she recalled. In mid-June, the biopsy result came back: she was positive for invasive ductal carcinoma.

Breast cancer doesn’t run in her family, and she doesn’t carry the breast cancer genetic mutation. And although she was concerned, she had faith.

Worried, yes, but she “knew it was caught early, and my prognosis was good.” She knew she was in “good hands” with my Smilow Cancer Hospital surgical and oncology teams.

“Everyone at Smilow was very confident and made me feel like I would be fine,” she noted. “I also knew I had the best support staff at home and so many family members and friends to lean on.”

She was confident and optimistic all would be well. But she did worry about how surgery and treatments would impact the then upcoming fall 2023 school semester. 

“I wasn’t sure what my recovery would be like or how I would tolerate the chemo, so I wasn’t sure how much time I would need to take off,” she said. 

Laura didn’t need to worry.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to take the entire first semester off. My administration and coworkers were very supportive,” she shared. “I knew I could just focus on my health and not have to worry about work at all.”

 

The 3 things that got her through

The HER2-positive cancer meant the “full gamut of treatment,” she shared. 

“First, I had a lumpectomy to remove both masses with clean margins. Once I fully recovered from surgery, I had a port put in, and I began my 12 weeks of chemotherapy followed by 19 radiation treatments,” Laura noted.

Laura described herself as “fortunate” in that she was able to tolerate “all of my treatments well, and I had very few side effects.”

“I was given a lot of advice upon my diagnosis, but the three things that stuck with me the most were to eat healthy, exercise even if it's just a short walk when I don’t feel like it, and to stay positive,” she shared. “I truly believe doing these three things got me through those six months.”

Those three things and the support from an “army” of family, friends, and colleagues.

My wife, Rachel, has been my rock through all of this. She helped me so much during my recovery after my surgery, and she never missed a chemo treatment. She has always been my biggest cheerleader and has helped me stay positive. I could not have made it through this journey without Rachel and our kids.”

And about that army, she feels blessed.

“Everyone has been so supportive and loving since my diagnosis,” Laura shared. “I come from a big family, and everyone is super close. My siblings and I grew up around all our aunts, uncles, and cousins, so I was never at a loss for someone to keep me company. I was showered with calls, texts, DMs (direct messages), cards, and gifts from so many people.”

 

Laura, Becky’s Besties, the TBBCF Walk for a Cure and Terri Brodeur’s kids

Laura is one of Becky’s Besties. The team participates in the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation’s signature fundraiser, the annual October Walk for a Cure.

“Becky’s Besties has been so important to me and my close group of friends. The team was organized for our amazing friend, Becky (Yering) Fraser, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. She went through a major surgery and a very aggressive chemo treatment, and was cancer-free for many years until it came back as metastatic bone cancer several years later. Unfortunately, she lost her hard-fought battle June 1, 2024. Our lives will never be the same.”

Laura said that Becky was the “true definition of a fighter” and an inspiration to her during her treatment.

“She was the strongest woman I have ever known and was an inspiration to anyone who ever met her. She was such a huge supporter of me throughout my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She was there for me to answer questions and give me a pep talk when I needed it even though she was going through her own battle,” Laura shared. 

“She never gave up and never let anyone see how much pain she was going through. She is my hero,” Laura said. “We will continue to add people to our team and walk in Becky’s memory every year.”

The TBBCF Walk holds a special place in her heart because before her own cancer story, she already had a “couple of personal connections to this event.”

“As a teacher at Old Saybrook High School, I had the pleasure of having all three of the Brodeur children as students, and I remember the first year the walk was organized. Our entire community was impacted by the loss of their mother, Terri Brodeur, and this walk was a great way to bring the school and the community together to raise money for the Foundation,” she noted. “I am in awe of how much the event has grown and how much money this Foundation has raised over the last 20 years.”

Laura is dedicated to the Foundation and its mission. And, she said she has a personal connection to one of the original board TBBCF members. Founder Norma Logan’s sister Geralyn McPhail “is a close friend of my family, and she has been like an aunt to me my whole life.”

 

Having breast cancer has absolutely changed me.

“I have made a lot of positive lifestyle changes, and I am committed to making my health a priority. I am eating better and exercising daily. I am also trying not to take the little things in life for granted anymore. I have experienced a lot of loss in the last couple of years, and it has made me realize that life is short. I want to be around as long as I can to make as many memories as I can with the people I love. The thought of my cancer coming back does rent some space in my head, but I’m trying not to let it consume me. Just trying to take life one day at a time.”

When asked if she feels like a survivor, she had mixed thoughts.

“The word survivor is a tough one for me to identify with,” she said. “Although I went through a tough treatment regimen, I never felt like I was ‘sick’ with cancer. I have seen people really struggle through their treatments, but I was fortunate enough to tolerate it well. It felt more like an inconvenience for me than it felt like I was ‘fighting a disease.’”

Laura’s plan going forward is to take her meds for the next several years and “continue to take care of my mental and physical health.”

“I’m hoping to have a lot of quality years ahead of me,” she admitted. “I still have a lot of things on my bucket list to check off.”